EP 70: Is Organizational Coaching Actually Working? AI, Capacity & the Truth About Coaching in Organizations

<p>Why do companies hire a coach instead of fixing the real problem?</p><p><br></p><p> In this episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins sits down with Katherine Lord, MSW, LSW, Director of Organizational Member Experience at ICF Coaching in Organizations for a candid conversation about what coaching actually does and doesn&#39;t do, why “ROI” is the wrong lens for measuring its impact, and how organizations sometimes use coaching to avoid holding up the mirror to themselves. From the “barge in a canal” theory of organizational change to why an AI coach will never replace a human one, this episode goes below the surface of what coaching in companies really looks like.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>🎥 Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts"><u>https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts</u></a></p><p><strong>Episode Chapters &amp; Key Moments</strong></p><p><strong>[00:00] Welcome &amp; introducing Katherine Lord</strong></p><p><strong>[04:29] Katherine&#39;s path from social work to coaching at ICF</strong></p><p><strong>[08:06] “Therapy&#39;s backward, coaching&#39;s forward”</strong></p><p><strong>[12:12] Return on Investment vs. Return on Expectation (ROE)</strong></p><p><strong>[16:27] Why there&#39;s no clean ROI formula for coaching</strong></p><p><strong>[20:28] The case for humans over widget, and over AI, as the investment</strong></p><p><strong>[22:48] Organizational coaching is still coaching</strong></p><p><strong>[24:53] Do orgs hire coaches to avoid systemic problems?</strong></p><p><strong>[29:53] A real case study: burnout, silos, and a mirror the org wasn&#39;t ready for</strong></p><p><strong>[31:31] Where AI and coaching actually intersect</strong></p><p><strong>[35:09] AI as a “capacity builder” and not a magic pill</strong></p><p><strong>[37:58] Tech backlash: why forcing AI adoption backfires</strong></p><p><strong>[42:14] “We scale what we value”</strong></p><p><strong>[43:25] Human-to-human connection vs. talking to Alexa</strong></p><p><strong>[45:48] What should orgs look for when hiring a coach?</strong></p><p><strong>[48:47] Debunking the myth that big companies only hire big coaching firms</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Associated Links</strong></p><p>🔹 Katherine Lord:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineblord/"> <u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineblord/</u></a></p><p>🔹 ICF Coaching in Organiz